Plant-Based Food Swaps

My Plant-based food swaps easy guide to get you started with trying plant powered foods today.

I want to make it easier for you to try plant-based foods so in this post I’m sharing my plant-based food swaps and general food philosophy. I know, “food philosophy” sounds super serious, but its not, I promise :) I’ve been geeking out on where food comes from and how it impacts our health and wellbeing for more than 15 years now, its a hobby that I really enjoy. Over the years these learnings have transformed into certain principles that I try follow to ensure that I’m eating as healthy as I can while being kind to animals and the planet. Keep reading below for some tips on how to get started with plant-based eating from a wholesome perspective.

My Food Philosophy

I’m going to try to keep this section as simple and straightforward as possible so you can get to cooking:)

I follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to food, 80% of the time I eat healthy home-cooked food, 20% of the time I eat out and/or enjoy whatever foods I feel like indulging in. I definitely believe in living a little. I also spend a lot of time “healthifying” foods in my kitchen that can be considered a bit indulgent so I can enjoy them more often (read I have a massive sweet tooth).

• I believe that food is medicine, but food can only be our medicine if we put thought and care into the foods that we fuel or bodies with.

• I eat home-cooked foods 80% of the time, this gives me more control over what goes into my diet

• I look for the highest quality food source for any food that I want to add to my diet, the nutritional profile is one of the most important aspects for me.

• I eat a whole-foods plant-based diet, i.e whole ingredients that are close to their natural state, that I prepare and cook myself. Mostly focused on fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts.

• I eat the rainbow, I try to eat seasonally and switch up the fruits and vegetables that I’m eating often to get the benefits from all of the plant-based foods available to us.

• I avoid most known foods that can cause inflammation in the body (fried foods, sugar, refined carbs, red meat, margarine, vegetable oils, gluten)

• I avoid processed foods that are often full of sugar, salt, fat and low in nutrition.

• I try to avoid products with food additives as much as possible (E-numbers, artificial sweeteners, MSG, high fructose corn syrap, transfat etc.)

• I don’t drink my sugar, i.e I don’t drink sugary drinks or add sugar to hot drinks. If I consume sugar then its an active and conscious choice that I’m making by e.g. eating a dessert or a piece of chocolate.

• I start my day by eating fruits to help my body eliminate and detox after a good nights sleep.

• I listen to my body and try eating in different ways to understand what my body needs. We’re all different, honour your personal vessel by experimenting and see how your body responds.

• I believe that food is a lifestyle choice not an ideology, we dont need to be perfect about the way we eat. I think we should see it as a highly individual journey to figure out how to best fuel our bodies , especially since there’s so much misinformation out there about food.

• Don’t judge yourself or others about their food-choices, just figure out what works for you.

• Don’t waste time comparing yourself to the next person, eat what supports your health and what you enjoy, balance is possible between those two things with a little bit of dedication.

Plant-based food swaps

Milk/ Dairy/Cheese

• Almond, pea, oat, hemp, coconut milk

• Coconut yogurt

• Plant-based butter (coconut oil based)

• Plant-based cheese (based on coconut oil not soy)

• Nutritional yeast (for a cheesy flavour)

Fats

• Nut butters (almond, cashew, peanut, hazelnut)

• Seed butter (pumpkin, sunflower, tahini)

• Coconut oil (virgin for raw cooking, refined for cooking/frying b/c higher smoke point)

• Hemp seeds (shelled hemp)

• Hemp seed oil

• Grape-seed oil (high smoke point)

• Avocado oil (high smoke point)

• Olive oil (for dressing salads/food only)

• Chia seeds

• Flax seeds

• Coconut milk/cream

 Protein

• Beans (chickpea, white beans, cannellini, kidney beans, black beans)

• Nuts (almond, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashew)

• Chickpea pasta

• Lentil Pasta

• Lentils

• Plant-based faux meats (pea protein based like Beyond meat)

Flours

• Chickpea flour

• Buckwheat flour

• Spelt flour

• Coconut flour

• Almond flour

• Hazelnut flour

• Oat flour

Grains

• Fonio

• Teff

• Quinoa

• Amaranth

• Buckwheat flakes

• Oatmeal (glutenfree)

Sugar

• Coconut sugar (granulated and liquid)

• Blackstrap molasses

• Date syrup

• Agave syrup

Condiments

• Coconut aminos (instead of soy sauce)

• Vegan broth

• No Soy soy sauce

• Vegan mayo

Vegan protein powders

• Garden of life Organic protein powder

• Vega Essentials

• Optimum Nutrition Gold standard

• Pea protein

• Hemp protein

Egg replacement in vegan baking

• Apple sauce

• Mashed bananas

• Aquafaba (chickpea brine)

• Flaxseed or chia egg

XO

Ruthie